We have a department head who has the capacity and wants his seat, but we feel he does not truly Get It. He does the tasks but lacks the strategic foresight and proactive problem-solving we need as we scale. How do we make an objective GWC call on this?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The "Get It" component of GWC™ is often the hardest for owners to define because it feels subjective. While "Capacity" is about skills and time, and "Want It" is about passion, "Get It" is about the natural chemistry, intuition, and deep understanding of the seat's essence.

To make an objective call on whether your department head gets his seat, you must define what "Getting It" looks like in practice. Stop looking at daily task completion. Instead, look at how he handles unexpected obstacles. A leader who gets their seat sees around corners, anticipates issues before they hit the scorecard, and naturally understands how their department's outputs impact the rest of the business.

During your next review, ask yourself three questions. Does this person understand the underlying purpose of their seat without being told? Do they naturally align their department's goals with the company's V/TO®? Do they take complete ownership of their numbers on the scorecard without making excuses?

If the answer to these questions is no, they do not get the seat. You cannot train someone to "Get It." It is an innate capability. Continuing to keep them in this seat will force you or your Integrator to constantly micromanage them, which stalls your growth. You must have the courage to remove them from the seat and find someone who truly gets the strategic demands of the role.